Albums are available in various sizes and colors as well as different types of covers. Some examples are suede, cloth, plastic, chipboard (aka cardboard) leather, vinyl, etc. Within those albums, the styles vary from post bound, strap-hinged, spiral, 3-ring, plus you may even see some that use ribbons as the closures for holding the pages. When it comes to choosing an album to put the finished layouts in, it is a matter of personal preference.

The sizes vary from albums as small as 3" x 3" to the most commonly used size of 12" x 12". There are many sizes between including 5" x 7", 6" x 6", 9" x 9", 8.5" x 11", 8" x 10" well as a couple that are larger than the 12" x 12" size.

Below are photos of the various styles of albums and a brief description of each to assist you in learning the difference between each one.

Three Ring Albums are basically 3-ring type binders -- notebooks in a way, but they are sturdier and don't have pockets in them like notebooks do. These are the easiest type of album to use as they allow the you to move pages around and insert new pages. Simply open up the rings and insert the 3 hole designed page protectors. These are available in the most commonly used sizes of 8 1/2" x 11" and also 12" x 12". The page protectors are top loading.

Spiral Bound Albums have a spiral binding. These normally do not allow for additional pages to be added. The page protectors slide on from the opening right side.

Post Bound Albums consist of two to four screw top posts. You remove the screw to put in more pages. These usually use the top loading page protectors. You can also purchase post extensions to allow for more pages to be inserted into your album. Beware though that the more you put into your album, the heavier and thicker the album will be. An album that is too thick may rip out the holes where the posts are inserted. I like putting little washers under the ends of the posts as hole reinforcers. Post Bound albums are easy to use, but if you need to move a page around or insert more pages,it is more of a challenge. You have to be able to hold one side of the pages/album in place while re-inserting the posts.

Strap-Hinged Albums have little plastic straps that are inserted into two staple-like extensions on the side of the specially designed pages. The page protectors normally slide onto the finished page from the right. In my experience, the strap hinged albums are a little more difficult to use, and if you pull the straps too hard, you will either rip out that little staple or even rip the holes on the guard that is used at the front and back of the album.

Ribbon Tied Albums are an elegant way to showcase your layouts, but they limit your number of pages to the length of the ribbon. It will only be long enough to tie into a pretty bow with just a few pages inside your album.

Whatever style or size you decide to use for your projects, be sure to buy quality albums as you will want them to last for the years to come.

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